How reliable are self diagnostic tests?

[matilda001]

I suffer from IBS and have lots of secondary symptoms related to this. I have had colonoscopies, mri, ultrasound and nothing showed to account for my symptoms. I find that whenever I go to my docs with health concerns that I am just gobbed off with 'its just IBS'. I have recently been feeling very tired, listless and am so pale and gaunt. I had read on the IBS forum that a member found out they were anaemic and their symptos were the same as mine. So I ordered a self diagnosis anaemia kit online and done the blood test. The indicator showed two lines which according to the instructions suggest I may be anaemic. Does anyone know if these self test kits are reliable? If I go to the docs and say I have done a self test, they will probably just tell me Im depressed and force anti depressants on me. Just wondering if anyone has used these kits and if they proved reliable? thanks.

[UGAgal]

I cant answer you on the self test but if you go to a doctor and say you did a self test at home for XYZ - the doctor is going to label you a hyprocondriac (or however you spell that) and pay you no attention.

Instead- I would give some symptoms of anemia and just say you really dont feel well and that you just kind of feel like maybe your getting anemic or something along those lines. DO NOT SAY YOU DID A SELF TEST>

[matilda001]

I cant answer you on the self test but if you go to a doctor and say you did a self test at home for XYZ - the doctor is going to label you a hyprocondriac (or however you spell that) and pay you no attention.

Instead- I would give some symptoms of anemia and just say you really dont feel well and that you just kind of feel like maybe your getting anemic or something along those lines. DO NOT SAY YOU DID A SELF TEST>

That is exactly my line of thinking. I have had two conditions dismissed as stress, which were later proven to be an underactive thyroid and a neurological condition. I was at my doctors a few weeks ago with the above symptoms, no blood tests were offered and as usual the doctor said it was stress and started writing a script for prozac!!!

[UGAgal]

That is exactly my line of thinking. I have had two conditions dismissed as stress, which were later proven to be an underactive thyroid and a neurological condition. I was at my doctors a few weeks ago with the above symptoms, no blood tests were offered and as usual the doctor said it was stress and started writing a script for prozac!!!

I would call his nurse to speak with her on the phone. Tell her some symptoms and let her know that a friend mentioned being checked for anemia or something and see how that goes.

I am anemic so i know all those symptoms. My anemia really stems from my fatigue due to insomnia - kind of one of those cant win for losing deals. MY poor blood pressure gets so low at times the nurse has to check it 5 times to get it to register... but I have to remind her I HAVE A BP considering I am sitting here talking lol

[matilda001]

I would call his nurse to speak with her on the phone. Tell her some symptoms and let her know that a friend mentioned being checked for anemia or something and see how that goes.

I am anemic so i know all those symptoms. My anemia really stems from my fatigue due to insomnia - kind of one of those cant win for losing deals. MY poor blood pressure gets so low at times the nurse has to check it 5 times to get it to register... but I have to remind her I HAVE A BP considering I am sitting here talking lol

Thats interesting, as I have a sleep disorder so perhaps a low blood count could be related......Im just at the stage now that I hate going to the docs as they cant see beyond 'stress' and just love prescribing AD's. I might try and just get a blood test without a doctors consultation first. It might not be anaemia, but I am so very very pale and listless. I take beta blockerss for my neurological condition so my blood pressure is normally slow and steady... thanks for your thoughts on this matter. Will post back if I pluck up the courage to go for a blood test!!

[UGAgal]

Thats interesting, as I have a sleep disorder so perhaps a low blood count could be related......Im just at the stage now that I hate going to the docs as they cant see beyond 'stress' and just love prescribing AD's. I might try and just get a blood test without a doctors consultation first. It might not be anaemia, but I am so very very pale and listless. I take beta blockerss for my neurological condition so my blood pressure is normally slow and steady... thanks for your thoughts on this matter. Will post back if I pluck up the courage to go for a blood test!!

I was told that my SEVERE insomnia was the cause for my anemnia - fatigue is one of the biggest triggers I guess you could say of anemnia and insomnia fatigue is one of the biggest ones out there. Definitely could be if you are an insomniac like me. Keep me posted!

[davidcr]

I suffer from IBS and have lots of secondary symptoms related to this. I have had colonoscopies, mri, ultrasound and nothing showed to account for my symptoms. I find that whenever I go to my docs with health concerns that I am just gobbed off with 'its just IBS'. I have recently been feeling very tired, listless and am so pale and gaunt. I had read on the IBS forum that a member found out they were anaemic and their symptos were the same as mine. So I ordered a self diagnosis anaemia kit online and done the blood test. The indicator showed two lines which according to the instructions suggest I may be anaemic. Does anyone know if these self test kits are reliable? If I go to the docs and say I have done a self test, they will probably just tell me Im depressed and force anti depressants on me. Just wondering if anyone has used these kits and if they proved reliable? thanks.

I found a place online called econolabs. They let you order your own bloodwork, then go have it done. The results get emailed or mailed to you.

What's going on is that it's a doctor who will call it in to LabCorp, since they don't do retail.

I got a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel for 22 dollars, and a Complete Blood Count for a similar price.

[dafeet]

I suffer from IBS and have lots of secondary symptoms related to this. I have had colonoscopies, mri, ultrasound and nothing showed to account for my symptoms. I find that whenever I go to my docs with health concerns that I am just gobbed off with 'its just IBS'. I have recently been feeling very tired, listless and am so pale and gaunt. I had read on the IBS forum that a member found out they were anaemic and their symptos were the same as mine. So I ordered a self diagnosis anaemia kit online and done the blood test. The indicator showed two lines which according to the instructions suggest I may be anaemic. Does anyone know if these self test kits are reliable? If I go to the docs and say I have done a self test, they will probably just tell me Im depressed and force anti depressants on me. Just wondering if anyone has used these kits and if they proved reliable? thanks.

Has any dr. ever tested you for gluten intolerance or celiac disease? All the symptoms you are talking about could very well point to that. Anemia is a big indicator as well. Do you have any other autoimmune issues such as allergies, eczema, psoriasis etc...? Just a suggestion.

[matilda001]

Has any dr. ever tested you for gluten intolerance or celiac disease? All the symptoms you are talking about could very well point to that. Anemia is a big indicator as well. Do you have any other autoimmune issues such as allergies, eczema, psoriasis etc...? Just a suggestion.

I was tested for celiac years ago but it was negative. All my IBS tests, including stool sample showed nothing. I have kept a food diary for years and eliminated things from my diet yet no trigger has been found. I didnt know there was a test for gluten intolerance? I though you just had to cut it out of your diet? I dont have allergies or skins conditions. My secondary symptoms to the IBS are migraines,, nausesa, vomiting, dizziness, severe right sided abdominal pain which never subsides, breathlessness. All of which are just 'dismissed' as IBS. Stress is always mentioned, however the IBS is the only thing that causes me stress.

[dafeet]

Most cases of gluten intolerance can be determined from a CBC as well as allergy testing. I would also recommend having them test for celiac again. It is something that can manifest over time, and it sounds like your symptoms have been worsening.

[matilda001]

Most cases of gluten intolerance can be determined from a CBC as well as allergy testing. I would also recommend having them test for celiac again. It is something that can manifest over time, and it sounds like your symptoms have been worsening.

I have has IBS for over 20 years and yes my symptoms are worsening. The nausea and vomiting is a horrible symptom and over the last year I have lost a stone in weight. I was just over 9 stone and my weight in now down to 8 stones. Yet when I saw the gastroentologist in October, she said my bowel just does not work properly and its something I just have to live with. I go again to gastro in March and I know I have lost more weight but the doctor just doesnt seem concerned...Im going to phone the docs tomorrow to get a test for anameia and celiac. I will mention the gluten intolerance and see if they can test for that also......Im a member of the IBS forum and its amazing how many people suffer from these symptoms but are just told to live with it!! Thanks for all the replies everyone....

[matilda001]

I phoned the docs this morning and have got a blood test next fri to test for gluten intolerance, celiac and anaemia. they wanted me to make an appointent with a doctor, but I just said it was a follow on from my gastro appointment who had suggested I get retested. Will post back when I get my results.....

[teresita]

My sister who has been anemic since childhood was just diagnosed with gluten intolerance (she is 42) Some community hospitals are conducting seminars on gluten intolerance and it seems that it is opening up a whole new way to eat normally while eliminating gluten. All of her adult life she was told she had IBS and took supplimental iron liquid for the anemia. It wasnt until last fall, when she had a hysterectomy, that they ran a test and found out about the gluten intolerance. She was given a list of foods to avoid and replace and attend the seminar. Today, she is feeling better than she has in 20yrs, anemia is gone and she is losing weight with the diet change and becoming "regular". She was the only family member that was overweight all of her life and is now losing without trying. She also has more energy. It is something that I had never heard about until about 5 yrs ago and it seems to be that a lot of people that had been diagnosed with IBS in reality were gluten intolerant.

[fatalframe]

I don't want to sound overly negative but self diagnostics online tests are utter shit. Always go see a doctor f you think you are suffering from something serious

[Dr-Feel-Good]

Being a Doctor is like being any other businessmen. The goal of going into business is to make money. Now if a doctor tells you that these tests are inaccurate and you need to have one done by their labs, it brings many questions to mind. They plant a seed of doubt in your mind that tells you that you need their test to be absolutely sure, and of course you will be spending large amounts of money having the blood drawn, sent off to the lab, and paying the doctor to analyze it. I would put more trust in this at home test and be assertive with your physician, remember you are not working for them, they are working for you. Under no circumstances should you allow them to put you on an antidepressant, the withdrawals from these substances is absolutely terrible. Do some research on some natural cures for your ailments, considering most of our pharmaceuticals come directly from the earth but are adulterated to serve the agenda of the medical society. Why cure a patient when you can treat their symptoms and make them a lifelong patient...

[fatalframe]

I'm sorry but I have a slightly different attitutude than you then. If I do a self-at-home test and it tells me I don't have colon cancer (I'm not sure such tests exist, just drawing this example out of my hat). Does that mean I don't have colon cancer?

It does not. Many problems I see
a) I'm in no position to assess the symptoms properly (Unlike a doctor I didn't study 5 years to recognize the symptoms and put them in perspective with less harmful alternatives after all)
b) Sorry to break it to you, but some things really do show up in your blood and are not just unneccessary tests to make more money (besides, most of that money goes to the lab doing the test and not the doctor himself.. but that's another story)
c) even if I do recognize the symptoms and suggested diseases I might deny them (cause obviously I don't want to have colon cancer
d) unlike you I don't think doctors are all out for our money and want to drive in their ferrarris and live a good life (well ok, they do want to live a good life, but so do we all so can I blame them for that? Nope. I'm not working for sharity either). Some actually study medicine cause they want to help people (as shocking as this may sound).

But maybe I'm just in the lucky positition that I know my psychiatrist for 10 years, have his private number, and that 2 of my close relatives studied medicine and are now working either in hospitals or having their own office

So all in all my conclusion is: Not only are online self tests not helpful, they are even potentially harmful to yourself. I've also been on anti depressants for years, and while I didn't like the withdrawal symptoms I would call them far from horrific (thou I find it funny that the pharma lobby speak of "withdrawal symptoms" and not addiction, cause that's what it is if you ask me.. so they can sell their products better.... But that's not the doctor, that's the pharmalobby and these are two pairs of shoes again). Also I rather place my trust in good, olê synthesized chemical drugs over some homeopathic crap that has been diluted 10,000 fold to increase its potency (which is a contradiction all in itself but that's a completely different story again :P)

Bottom line is: if you don't trust your doctor, go see a new one. If you doubt your doctors treatment plan for you he/she obviously isn't the right choice for you. Thats what I like telling my mother but I guess it goes for everyone =)

[Pharmacysleuth]

FDA has quite a bit of information on home tests on its web page. You can obtain this by looking up OIVD (the office of in vitro diagnostics), FDA, home tests on google. They have background information as well as a data base that includes information on the tests that FDA has approved for marketing.

I think all in all the tests aren't too bad although I doubt they are as reliable as tests actually done in a clinical lab.

Please note in some states you can obtain a lab test without a doctor's prescription. You just need to look up labs and see if this is true in your state. In some states (for example Atlanta Georgia) labs actually advertise that they provide these services.

[Frank McGhee]

I've never given myself any home/self medical tests, but I have bought my wife (and others) the home pregnancy test. See nothing wrong with self-tests, which can save you a lot of money. There are so many now, it is unbelievable. Tests for blood typing, cholesterol, colorectal cancer, HIV and many more. If your IBS is really interfering in your life, then seek another doctor that will assist and not dismiss your concerns.

[amity]

For suspected anemia, a test for hemoglobin/hematocrit (or hgb/hct or simply H&H) is what you need for starters. This is not a complicated test at all, but we need to recognize the limits of any lab test: They do not really diagnose anything! For example, if you find you are anemic, the real question is what is causing it. Are your iron reserves depleted because of a dietary deficiency? or do you have a chronic GI bleed? Two really different courses of treatment are in order depending on which it is. (In reality there are any number of other causes of anemia to be considered, not just two).

At any rate, you can order all sorts of tests for yourself from HealthCheckUSA. No doctor's orders required.

Yikes, I hope I haven't violated any rule mentioning the lab above. They don't sell anything but lab tests (I don't think so anyway) and are a very "straight" company often recommended to people without health insurance. If I've done wrong, please remove the offending mention.

[Chancer]

We have numerous tests in the UK for various ailments even though we have the NHS, I think it is a way to protect privacy and save the NHS some money. I would trust these tests as the would not have made it through the vigorous checks made by the medical community if they did not do what they said on the box. As long as you get the test from a reputable company then you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
I would Google the test and the company name and see who authorized the test and you will have your answer. Be safe people